Delhi High Court Issues Notice On Bail Plea Filed By Wrestler Sushil Kumar In Chhatrasal Stadium Murder Case

The Delhi High Court on Friday issued notice on a bail plea filed by Olympic wrestler Sushil Kumar in connection with the Chhatrasal Stadium murder case of former junior national wrestling champion Sagar Dhankhar.

Justice Mukta Gupta sought response of the Delhi Police while posting the matter for further hearing on March 28.

Sushil Kumar was arrested from Delhi last year. His associate, Ajay Kumar, a physical education teacher at Chhatrasal Stadium, was also arrested from the Mundka area.

The Delhi Police had registered an FIR under sec. 302 (punishment for murder) and sec. 308 (attempt to commit culpable homicide), 365 (abduction), 325 (voluntarily causing grievous hurt), 323 (voluntarily causing hurt), 341 (wrongful restraint), 506 (criminal intimidation), 188 (Disobedience to order duly promulgated by public servant), 269 (negligent act likely to spread infection of disease dangerous to life), 34 and 120B (criminal conspiracy) of IPC along with sec. 25, 54 and 59 of the Arms Act.

Reportedly, Sagar, who had been training at the iconic Chhatrasal Stadium, died while two of his friends got injured after they were allegedly assaulted by Sushil Kumar and some other wrestlers on May 4, 2021, at the Chhatrasal Stadium premises in Delhi. 

In the bail plea, it has been stated thus:

"The investigating agency at the far end of the investigation cropped up a new version that the deceased purportedly had given a dying declaration to the police officials with an aim to add bite to otherwise toothless case of the prosecution. That nothing incriminating has been recovered from or at the instance of the petitioner which further corroborates his innocence in the alleged incident."

Sushil Kumar's bail plea was rejected by Additional Sessions Judge Shivaji Anand after the Court was of the view that prima facie, that Kumar was visible in the video as reflected in the photographs taken out of the video footage and that he could be clearly seen to be causing severe injuries to the deceased.

The Court had accepted the Prosecution's argument that when renowned people commit such heinous offence, then its detrimental effects on the society are enormous.

Case Title: Sushil Kumar v. State